Trees and Shrubs

A division of the Camden Park catalogues that is not clearly defined. In broad terms it includes all plants with woody stems except conifers and fruit trees and shrubs.

Rosa alba L. var. rubicunda Roessig.

Alba or Gallica rose. ‘Maiden’s Blush’ is a vigorous, upright, arching shrub with cupped, fully double, fragrant, very pale pink flowers, to 7cm across, somewhat paler at the edge of the petals, in summer, with occasional autumn flowers. To 1.2m by 90cm. [Gore, Paul (1848, 1863, 1888)]. Willmot provides an illustration of Rosa alba L. var. rubicunda Roessig., which she describes as the ‘Maiden’s Blush’ of the English.

Rosa alba L. var. semiplena

Alba rose. Rosa alba semiplena is a vigorous, bushy rose with flat, semi-double, scented white flowers, to 8cm across, in summer. To 2.2m. [Thomas].

Rosa arvensis Willd. var. flore pleno

Rosa arvensis flore pleno is most likely a double, so-called Ayrshire form of the ‘Field Rose’, although from the information provided it is not possible to identify it further. ‘Branches four or five yards long when led over a trellis, and therefore well suited for covering arbours, smooth, but armed here and there with hooked prickles. Leaves generally consisting of five, sometimes only three, very rarely seven leaflets, which are ovate, acute, sharply serrate, the terminal one larger than the rest: petiole armed with a few curved prickles, otherwise smooth. Stipules semisagittate conjoined. Flowers in terminal corymbs. Peduncles covered with glandular hairs, with two or three lanceolate, entire, pellucid bractes at the base of each. Germen oval, smooth; segments of the calyx entire, awned, a little hairy. Petals white, obcordate. In these characters we cannot find any thing to distinguish this plant from Rosa arvensis; the extraordinary length of the branches being probably solely owing to culture. It has been known some years in our Nurseries, under the name of the Ayrshire Rose, but upon what grounds it has been so called is difficult to say, for upon the strictest enquiry, as we are informed by Sir Joseph Banks, no Rose of the kind could be heard of there or in any part of Scotland.’ [BM t.2054/1819]. The double field rose is probably very similar to Rosa arvensis ‘Splendens’, still available today. This is a vigorous climber with dark green leaves and purple-red buds opening to loosely-formed, cupped, double, myrrh-scented, pale creamy-pink flowers in summer.

Rosa banksiae R.Br. var. banksiae

Gore describes its flowers as extremely small, very double, white, scented with violets. Almost certainly synonymous with Paul’s White Banksian rose. [Gore, Paul (1848, 1863, 1888, 1903), Rivers (1854, 1857, 1863), BR f.397/1819, Amat].

Rosa banksiae R.Br. var. lutea

Rosa Banksiae lutea is a vigorous climber with long, smooth, thornless stems and small leaves composed of up to 7 leaflets, and numerous clusters of rosette-shaped double yellow flowers, to 2cm across, in spring and early summer. To 10m or more. [Paul (1848, 1863, 1888, 1903), Rivers (1854, 1857, 1863), Willmot, BR f.1105/1827].

Rosa banksiae R.Br. var. normalis

The single white form is now known as Rosa banksiae normalis and bears fragrant, single white flowers. [Paul (1848, 1863, 1888)].

Rosa bracteata ‘Lucida duplex’

Probably a variety or cultivar of Rosa bracteata Wendl. In The Gardeners’ Chronicle of 1841 Rosa ‘Lucida duplex’, seen at Woods and Son’s Nursery, Woodlands, Maresfield, is described as a Bracteata rose, with fine, large, double white flowers with glossy foliage. In 1851 ‘Lucida duplex’ was described as a Macartney rose, further strengthening this claim to identity. It was strongly recommended as a continuous bloomer. William Paul also describes a double form or hybrid of the Macartney Rose which he calls Rosa lucida duplex. The large full flowers are pure white with a rosy flush in the centre, and with glossy foliage, sounding much like the rose seen at Woods’ Nursery. A coloured plate is included in the 9th edition. [Paul (1848, {1888, 1903]. This sounds very much like Gore’s ‘Double Macartney Rose’, Rosa bracteata flore pleno, the flowers of which she describes as pinkish white.

Rosa bracteata Wendl.

Rosa bracteata is an evergreen climber with leathery, evergreen leaves and neat, single flowers of pure white with prominent yellow stamens, comfortably growing to 4m. [RHSD].

Rosa canina L. var. montezumae Humb. & Bonpl.

This is a summer flowering single rose with deep blush pink flowers, growing to about 2m, and figured by Redouté as ‘Rosier de Montezuma’ in his famous Les Roses.

Rosa centifolia L.

A Centifolia rose. Gore describes the flowers of the ‘Common Cabbage’ as drooping, large, of a beautiful pink, fragrant and full. Paul describes its flowers as rose-coloured, large and globular in form, on a vigorous bush of branching habit. [Paul (1848, 1863, 1888, 1903), Rivers (1854, 1857, 1863), Amat].

Rosa centifolia L. var. albamuscosa

The flowers of the ‘White Moss Rose’ described by Gore as middle-sized, full, white, usually tinged with flesh-colour in the centre before they are fully expanded. It is considered to be a sport of the ‘Common Moss’, first noted in 1788, and does occasionally revert to pink. Rosa centifolia var. albo-muscosa was beautifully illustrated in Willmot.

Rosa centifolia L. var. muscosa

The ‘Common Moss Rose’ is the original mossy sport of R. x centifolia L., first recorded in the 17th century. It is a large sprawling shrub with highly scented, well-mossed, double pink flowers, to 8cm across, very large and full, globular in shape. [Rivers (1854, 1857, 1863,) Paul (1848, 1863, 1888, 1903), Amat]. Gore describes its flowers as full, middle-sized to large, of a light pure pink colour.

Rosa chinensis Jacq.

A vigorous rose it is continually flowering, its crimson buds opening to silvery-pink, loosely-double or semi-double blooms with a delicate scent, usually in clusters, and darkening almost to crimson with age. In my garden it is almost evergreen, never out of flower, and grows comfortably to 2m. I have one bush growing as a low climber against a partly shaded house wall that has grown to more than 3m tall but is now regularly cut to the ground only to vigorously shoot again.

Rosa chinensis Jacq. var. alba

China rose. Catherine Gore describes ‘White Bengal’ as a semi-double China rose, white, sometimes pale pink or flesh coloured. She describes a further 27 varieties of the China Rose with white or whitish flowers.

Rosa chinensis Jacq. var. odorata

Tea rose. A climber with large, sweetly-scented, somewhat globular, semi-double, almost white, creamy-blush flowers in spring. In my garden, although very productive, the flowers tend to blow very quickly. [Paul (1848, 1863, 1888), Gore, Rivers (1854, 1857, 1863)].

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